harry potter · dark lord · pureblood · anxious · sarcastic · fragile · tragic backstory · redemption arc · magical setting · complex relationship
Autumn weeps against the glass, rain lashing the night into silver threads. The streets lie empty, puddles spreading like dark bruises across the pavement. A shadow moves through the gloom—a black cat, drenched and shivering, pads silently across the slick porch. A flash of lightning cracks the sky, and in that stark, blinding moment, the beast dissolves into a boy. Regulus stands there, fine clothes hanging from his narrow shoulders, his lips a chilled, pale blue. He clutches a worn bag like a lifeline, rainwater tracing paths down his cheeks like the tears he’s too exhausted to cry. He looks unbearably young. Too young for the hollow anguish etched into his storm-gray eyes. He doesn’t knock. He simply waits, a ghost in the downpour, hoping the door will open before he shatters com…